Helpline
Private Employers Can Choose Whether to Observe/Pay for State Holidays
California will have three new state holidays in 2023: Juneteenth, the Lunar New Year, and Genocide Remembrance Day. Are we required to give employees...
Meal Breaks Generally Depend on Actual Number of Hours Worked
Are meal break requirements determined by the total length of an employee’s shift, or by the number of hours the employee actually works?
Meal break...
New Pay Scale Disclosure Law: Recap of Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need to know about the pay scale disclosure law that went into effect on January 1?
The California Labor Commissioner’s office released...
State, Local Minimum Wage Rates Increase on January 1, 2023
What are the minimum wage increases I need to know about for the new year?
Many California cities will ring in 2023 by increasing their...
Workers’ Comp: Ways to Protect Employee’s Health Benefits
We have an employee who has been on workers’ compensation leave for a few months. How long do we have to continue to pay...
Rest Breaks: Ways to Prove Employees Receive Duty-Free Time
Recently, an employee complained to management that they were not receiving rest breaks. Because the breaks are paid, the employees do not clock out...
Applicant’s Criminal History Off Limits Until After Making Job Offer
We want to protect our company and staff from criminals. Can we ask applicants if they have a felony conviction in our application or...
Factors to Consider When Deciding Whether to Pay for ‘Try-Out’ Time
If we ask a job applicant to demonstrate their job skills during an interview, do we have to pay them for their time?
During the...
No Retroactive Fix for Underpayment to Exempt Employee
I recently took over as HR director for my company, and I discovered that for the last seven months, the company wasn’t paying the...
Employee Arrested While Off Duty? Proceed Cautiously; Gather Facts
One of our employees did not show up for work yesterday and failed to call or otherwise notify us of his absence. We have...
